RISE
by Illusionary Heart
Summary: <html><head></head>In the distant future, power is all that matters. And to Elsword and his misfit gang, getting to the top is priority. And what better way to do so than to join the largest battle royale in the world - RISE? LOTS OF OC's NEEDED!</html>
1. Prologue

**(A/N: So hey guys! It's been a while, or something like that idk**

**But anyways, so this is an upcoming story and this is basically sort of an OC-melded story, if you know what I mean? No? Mmkay. But anyways, I'll be counting on you to turn OC's in. Every OC that is turned in is accepted, but the faster you turn in the larger the role your OC will have.**

**Don't worry. OC's won't be present in every single chapter, although I might have some 'omake' chapters that are purely OC-centric. Even if your OC doesn't make it big time in the main storyline, I'll give them some love in the omakes. I promise… Probably.**

**I should probably be finishing writing chapter like, four of Innocent instead of posting this, but I was thinking about this for a while and I'm super pumped. You know, when I'm not stressing over science ;_;**

**So, the profile turn in sheet is at the bottom, and I'd don't mind if it's turned in via review or PM. Either one works, they'll all be accepted anyways. BUT! If you have an account, I'd like it if you'd turn it in by PM. Guests can't, so… But I'll accept it either way so whatevs.**

**SO! This is just the prologue; the second chapter might not be posted until late October/early November because of planning out the teams and stuff. I know what it sounds like, RISE is a battle royale festival, but all will be explained during the prologue. But I hope you won't get mad at me if it gets delayed o-o I'm just a human QAQ**

**So, I hope you enjoy~!)**

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><p>Elsword tossed a ball in the air, trying to ignore the rumble in his stomach that signaled hunger. It wasn't fair how the lower teams got such payment for their jobs.<p>

This world that he lived in, Elrios, it was merciless.

And the leader of this world happened to be his older sister. Several years ago, with the decline of food and water, many people were thrust into poverty, and thus ended up banding with others to create groups in order to attempt to survive.

Over the years, gradually power and battle skills took over the roster. Everybody was learning how to fight, because the stronger you were, the more power you held in the world. And since people banded with each other, they became known as 'teams'. Although there wasn't a limit to how many people there could be in a team, there was a limit when participating in festivals. Four, it was the limit.

Festivals, otherwise known as battle royales, were the ultimate key to gaining power in their decayed, gray world. If your team won in a festival, they would rise in power and status.

You didn't have to participate in a team, of course. There were soloists as well, but they participated with a very low chance of survival, as Solo Festivals tended to be more brutal than others. However, if one did manage to survive and win a Solo Festival, their status would rocket up the charts. That's how much respect a surviving soloist gains from winning one.

As such, it was extremely hard to win one. It didn't help that the only legal Soloist festival took place every ten years.

The only soloist survivor, a gentle but rough woman known by the alias of 'The El Lady', had passed away in the last Soloist festival six years ago, beaten by another soloist who had managed to rack her way up in the following years with her team.

Elesis Sieghart. His older sister.

The El Lady had won the Soloist festival forty years ago, and even with her old age, managed to upkeep the title of Soloist. But Elesis had beaten her six years ago, and that position gave her the status as the most important and powerful figure in festivals and politics. The El Lady had passed away in the very same battle.

So, it was like this: You beat the current Soloist in the next soloist festival, and then you win a position as the leader of Elrios.

He hated that woman with a passion.

Killing people in team festivals was forbidden – but it was allowed in Soloist festivals.

His ragtag team was small and rowdy; they were always getting into trouble with the law. It was amazing how none of them had been killed on the streets by drunk thugs yet. Maybe it was persistence that kept them alive, but it didn't matter.

His team consisted of four people, meeting the official number of people needed to participate in festivals.

There was himself. He liked to think of himself as the leader, since he was the one who found the members of the group. Sure, he wasn't the smartest, but he could make good choices. That's what he liked to think.

Then there was the rough, bossy and batshit insane Aisha. Always telling people to do things, she was a magic user and undoubtedly strong – if you got over her personality. She was also flat-chested.

Not that it mattered.

And then there was Rena. An elf, she was graceful and poised – but merciless on the battlefield. Although she seemed gentle and composed, she was actually quick to anger and extremely scary when she was.

And then, there was Raven. The newest member, he was silent and dark, and didn't talk to anybody except for Rena, who was the one who brought him in. Elsword didn't know much about him, but he didn't trust him, and Aisha didn't either. He could tell through her eyes. Maybe it was the weird mechanical arm he had.

"Elsword!" A shrill shriek ripped through the air of their dusty, run-down warehouse that the four shared. Their meager wages was just barely enough to pay for it. But he groaned when he heard the voice. "Where's the damn money bag?!" Aisha sounded super ticked off as she walked into the room, her pigtails were a mess.

"In the fridge." He threw the ball at her, and it froze in front of her face, ice swirling up the sides as she glared at him.

"I'm trying to be serious! Why the hell would it be in the fridge?!"

"Because Rena moved it. The thugs came nearby yesterday, and we just can't keep it in the same place, now can we?" He said, smoothly dodging her fireballs as she shot them at him.

"Fine!" Annoyed, Aisha left him alone and he went over to pick the ball back up, the sides flaming as he melted away the ice Aisha had left on it.

He tossed it in the air again, thinking. Just yesterday Aisha had been fired from her job because she got ticked off and yelled at a new worker, and now she was super cranky about everything.

Elsword would've laughed, except for the fact that Aisha's job was their largest source of income. Now, the little that he, Rena, and Raven brought it wasn't enough to keep the warehouse and themselves fed.

At this rate, one of their few members would be kicked out. And everybody knew (Even the kind and cheerful Rena had acknowledged this) who it would be.

It had always been like this. The system of teams. In this world, everybody was enemies, even to the ones in your teams. People treated each other like tools; if you are rendered useless, or made a big mistake, you're out.

It was a matter of power, like the world was. If you're weak, you have no chance at survival. People are bound to leave each other someday.

A light, willowy sound brought Elsword's attention to the door. In front of the warehouse, holding open the big garage door, was Rena and Raven. Raven was covered in blood (As usual), and Rena was untouched, her green-white outfit sparkling as she stepped into the room coolly. "Hi," She greeted, and then turned to Raven, who stepped in and let the garage door go.

It fell down with a thud, and Elsword stared bleakly at them. "You sure are here early," He snorted.

"Raven finished up earlier than usual." Rena said briefly. "Where's Aisha? I'm afraid I need to talk with her."

Elsword knew what she was talking about, and smirked. Behind her, Raven stayed silent. "She went looking for the money bag. Should be in the kitchen right now."

Rena cocked her head to the side. "I didn't put the money bag in the… Tell me you didn't."

He shrugged. "I was bored."

As if on cue, there was a shriek in the kitchen and a loud crash. Rena turned to Elsword with flaming eyes, and he shrugged again. She took off towards the kitchen, Raven trailing behind her like a lost puppy.

With nothing else to do, Elsword grabbed the ball and headed towards the kitchen. Inside was the mess he was expecting. A flurry of white flour coated the floor and Aisha, as the girl raged at the flour. When they saw him enter, both females turned furious eyes on him for different reasons.

"You evil little - !" Aisha started, but was quickly cut off by Rena and a murderous aura.

"You wasted all this perfectly good flour!" She hissed, anger and disappointment seething off her voice. Elsword shrugged. It was too good, though, seeing Aisha's face, and he burst out laughing. But the atmosphere was strained as everybody stared at him, and it became denser as he continued.

They weren't always like this. Everybody was on edge right now because the most famous and rewarding festival was coming up soon, and everybody was nervous, because a lot of the higher ups liked to practice on random people they found on the streets. The largest festival took place near them, in fact.

RISE.

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><p><strong>HERE'S THE OC SHEET if you already have one you can turn it in. Also I need skills, 5 at max and two at min. If you can't think of any skills PM me and we can brainstorm (Even though I'm bad at that stuff… qq)<strong>

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Race:**

**Class:**

**Class tree:**

**Skills:**

**Appearance:**

**Personality:**

**History:**

**Reason for joining RISE:**

**Other:**

**Romantic Interest:**

**Soo… Yeah. That's it. I hope you guys submit. *w* OH BY THE WAY no OP stuff here. Like, no one-shot KO strong. But otherwise, there's no requirements. Yep. Also, there are no soloists. If you beg real hard I might consider though... -w- ehehehehe. Also, I hope you don't mind if your OC gets mushed in with other OCs. If you want romance between two OC's, I'll ask the other person and k. Or if you don't mind and stuffs, I'll ask you. If you're a guest, I'll ask you via chapter yo.**

**If you want romance with a canon character... PM me and we'll talk. However... Elsword is a no-no. Eve/Aisha might be available, depending on who wins the poll. Add will be available as well. Others.. ssshhhh just PM me. **


	2. Introduction I

_**PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE. EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.**_

**A/N: I finally finished, woohoo~~~ So, not all OCs who applied show in this, it's just an introductory chapter for the first four teams. Other teams will be introduced in the next chapter.**

**OK, so none of the characters here (Except for one, but I put her in cuz filler) belong to me, and the game Elsword and it's characters don't either. So don't go suing me, because I have no money.**

**Here are classes~ I could've put the classes in the first chapter, but I feel like it isn't fair until I introduce the rest of the canon characters. Almost all canon characters will be in their class that are associated with dark elements. Also, if you have an OC and you gave me three job classes, I'll pick whichever. So if you want it changed PM me. **

**Elsword: Infinity Sword (17)**

**Aisha: Void Princess (19)**

**Rena: Night Watcher (?)**

**Raven: Reckless Fist (23)**

**Eve: Code: Nemesis (?)**

**Chung: Deadly Chaser (16)**

**Ara: Asura (17)**

**Add: Diabolic Esper (16)**

**Elesis: Crimson Avenger (20)**

**No Pausa: Cerebral Accelerator (16)**

**Sebastian: Sadistic Predator (20)**

**Konoe: Sacrificial Protector (14)**

**Alterasia Type-O (Kozuna): Bio Tempest (16)**

**Accel: Time Walker (?)**

**Takuma: Weapons Specialist (15)**

**Alice: Spiro Knef (16) - Was mentioned, but not by name**

**Konoha: Arctic Beast (19)**

**Bryan: Admiral (17)**

**GunVolt: Azure Striker (14) - Guest, it's alright to turn in a character from a different franchise. However, next time, I'd like it better if I got an actual OC. I'll make an exception for you 'cuz I love you ;) (It's 10 PM, I'm a little loopy right now k)**

**Akira: Midnight Warrior (15)**

**Elysea: Dragon Master (15)**

**Oh boy that was long xD The other OCs will be introduced next chapter. This one got a little long, so... ^^; I hope you guys don't mind waiting until the next chapter.**

**Oh, with the omake stuff.**

**I'll be having omakes feature one team at a time, and the genre of that will be comedy (Or my attempted comedy qq) and I can't say how often they'll appear, or which team appears first. Just look forward to it, k?**

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><p>There was a gentle click-clack as Eve busied herself with her machinery. Her drones, Moby and Remy, whirred playfully at Chung as he patted them, chuckling.<br>In their warehouse, there wasn't much. Just a ratty couch and a ton of broken machines that Eve had abandoned in years past. Ara was passed out on the couch, her body twisted into a fetal position. Add wasn't present, like he usually was.

Eve closed the hatch to her capsule, and then turned her blank yellow gaze to her teammates. Chung had apparently tired of playing with Moby and Remy and was leaning near the couch, tossing a sock into the air, boredom plain on his face.

Ara mewled in her sleep and turned around, a puff of dust cascading from the couch. Chung coughed, and then turned around to crossly swear at Ara.

She snored.

Eve turned back to her capsule. She didn't know how much money this thing would pawn off the streets, but hopefully it was enough to meet their quota for this week. Last week was horrible, and they starved for a good majority of it.

Of course, there was a chance of abandoning her teammates. See how well they got along without her.

Eve could imagine it – she could use all the money for herself. She would be at least middle-class, with enough to eat and maybe even a real bed.

But, no matter how hard she tried to tell herself to abandon these worthless penniless teammates – she couldn't. Eve didn't understand why, but the thought of leaving them to starve was unbearable and left a sick, twisted feeling in her stomach.

No matter how much she hated these son-of-a-guns, she couldn't let this happen again. Eve grabbed a screwdriver and twisted in a loose screw in the back of the capsule. Gathering the hunk of metal in her arms, she stood up.

Chung glanced up at her, and she looked down at him. No words were exchanged, but he nodded, and she nodded back.

Eve left Chung and Ara in the warehouse, off to sell her new contraption in order to survive. Moby and Remy flew after her.

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><p>No Pausa watched his teammates, all of them spread out far away from each other on the floor, asleep.<p>

The food pile was in the middle, consisting of rich cheeses, tender meats, and five-inch tinderboxes.

'Donations', you could say, from the richer folks. He ran a hand through his wild, feathery dark brown hair, the color worn down from continuous exposure to the sun. His fair skin contrasted with the strong auburn of his eyes as he stared down at these people who he called 'teammates'. He took his thick, swirled glasses off his face, wiped them carelessly on his pants, and put them back on.

Now, before daybreak, during the height of their sleeping time, was the perfect time to play pranks.

No sniggered, and then tiptoed over to his first victim – the quiet female of their group, Alterasia Type-O, or Kozuna. Her green hair was spread out all over the place; their tips dyed a poisonous red. She was curled up on her side, as three, vine-like spikes extended out of her back. Her face was peaceful, and probably the only time it was so.

Kozuna wasn't the type to really change clothes often, but she was wearing a simple airy cream-colored dress, rips all over, indicating their age. No wasn't really sure he wanted to prank her. Although her temper and threats he could take, he didn't really like her eyes.

Sharp and mean, her yellow eyes had cat-like red pupils that could seize anybody in fear. And those eyes, he hated looking at them already. But, the expression on her face when she woke up would be worth it. All around her body, No planted El shards, these elemental crystals used in battle.

Oh ho, and they weren't just any old El shards, but fire El shards.

Kozuna hated fire with a passion.

This made this a whole lot more interesting. He made sure to add a touch more fire when he implanted the fire shards. They gave off a faint light, all dazzling and sparky in the dim light of the rising sun.

Kozuna's face, and her temper, they were something to look forward to. Although usually quiet, she had this dangerous aura around her, like if you touched her you'd be poisoned. She and their other female member, Konoe, didn't exactly get along.

Konoe liked to push buttons, and Kozuna didn't like getting her buttons pushed.

And then after that, destruction ensued. Sure, he wasn't happy about the mass destruction of the warehouse, but their faces of complete rage were satisfying.

Next was Sebastian. Cold, merciless in battle, with a sadistic streak a mile long. Also not a good target for pranks. Heck, nobody was a good target for pranks in this team.

But it didn't matter.

As long as he could get a reaction.

Sebastian had a head of spiky blue-black hair that reaches his shoulders (He was currently laying on his side much like Kozuna was, and it was all over the place – and more unkempt than Kozuna's was. Guess Kozuna, in the end, was a girl after all. She takes care of her hair.) And dark blue eyes. Although not as piercing and fierce as Kozuna's, his had an iciness that shouldn't be messed with.

Which was, exactly, what No was trying to do.

No wasn't with Sebastian for long, but he did know that the guy despised stalkers. And since the guy (As crazy as he was) was good looking and did indeed have a stalker when No met him (She, sadly, was executed when Sebastian had had enough) and No was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of his face.

Although he didn't dabble much in the illusionary charms (Which were very expensive, but he snatched it off one of the magic carts in Bethma's night markets), he knew enough to conjure a simple spell that would probably last for a couple hours.

He concentrated his magic energy, and released it into the pulsing blood-red crystal underneath his fingers. No focused his attention on the stalker girl's face, and the crystal disappeared, replaced with a holographic figure of the girl. The hologram giggled when she saw Sebastian's face, and planted herself next to him, snuggling into his chest.

No tried hard not to laugh. This was golden.

He moved on to the last member of their team, Konoe. Although he was six years older than her, Konoe was nearly as fierce as he was. Her black demonic wings were curled up around her like a blanket, covering her amazingly clean black gothic Lolita outfit. Her hair, two black ponytails, had come undone during the night, and was splayed all over the ground like a black waterfall. A pair of demon horns sprouted from her head.

It very accurately represented her personality, too. She was scary, man.

He pulled out three more crystals (The vendor selling these illusionary charms was particularly busy that night, so No was able to make off with more than a couple items) and whispered another charm.

This time, he summoned three random people (Just faces he saw on the streets that happened to make an impression on him) and ordered them quietly to stand around, staring into Konoe's face, which they did willingly. It wasn't as if they had a choice.

When he finished with his work, the sun broke the sky, making the darkness run for cover. A pity, he really did like the darkness more than he liked the sun.

No figured that if he was to survive, he'd better get his ass out of there. So he hauled himself out, and then out back behind the warehouse.

Five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty.

A scream.

It sounded like Kozuna. She was cursing really loudly, and then a few seconds later a girly scream that was neither Kozuna or Konoe – No assumed that Sebastian had gotten rid of the stalker hologram.

An enraged cry as Konoe's blood magic spurted – it made a wet, squishy noise, and Sebastian made a noise of disgust.

Boy, he was glad that he wasn't in there. As he tried to move, a pair of thorny vines wrapped around his arms and No knew he was caught. This attack wasn't one Kozuna used often – only when she was really pissed.

Sebastian, entire body splattered with blood, came raging over the corner. His pupils were wide and dangerous. Kozuna followed shortly after, a boomerang in her arms. Her entire body was covered with burn marks.

Konoe appeared last. No knew that he probably went too far with Sebastian's and Kozuna's jokes, but Konoe didn't appear to be in a joking mood. Instead she had a sick expression on her face as she looked at him.

No only offered a twisted smile in return as his teammates charged at him with sadistic faces of unquenched rage.

You could say, this was a team made only out of convenience. Once they reached their goals, each would be abandoned like an old toy.

Every single one of that team knew it.

And they accepted it.

Such was the world that they lived in.

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><p>The bag holding their supplies for the week was light.<p>

Way too light.

Accel knew it was going to be hard since both Takuma and Konoha had been laid off their jobs (Replaced by those teams of higher status), but he didn't think it was going to be this bad. Although Takuma had insisted that everything was going to be alright ('It's going to be fine,' He had said cheerfully, 'We'll make do.')  
>Even with the prospect of 'we'll make do', this was too light. As Accel trekked back to their run-down apartment (Small and cheap, but it was alright), attempting to stay in the dark. It was dangerous, at this time of night.<p>

He set off in the morning, but Takuma had asked him to get some El shards, and they didn't sell those in the day markets. They only sold food items (95% of his too-light paper bag) and makeup and such.

So, Accel had to wait until the night markets open to get the magic items. Rueben was a poor town, so the night market didn't really offer any of the higher quality magic items. Most of the items sold were El shards, most of them containing earth elements, since Rueben was literally surrounded by nature. It took a while to find the El shards infused with the darkness element like Takuma had asked, but he found them nonetheless.

Traveling through the day, it was okay. There were many strong leaders and fighters that would fend off a mob of thugs ganged up against a civilian any day. Or, well, in the mornings. Even the bravest of warriors retreated in the night – the night was the domain of the thugs.

Which was why he was so nervous trying to get back home in the dead of night. Dead leaves and the crunch of the paper bag were loud and echoed throughout the streets. What usually would be small in the day was loud during the night. Only near the night markets were you safe.

And Accel's problem was, his team's apartment was on the outskirts of town, away from the heart of the city – which was where the night/day markets were held.

If he didn't get back soon, Takuma would probably get worried, super worried – that was the type of person Takuma was. He looked up to his upperclassman (Okay… So maybe Takuma wasn't even older than him. But hey, it's the thought that counts – Takuma still acted like he was older) and they both shared a friendly relationship. He wasn't too bad looking too, with his blue eyes and black hair.

Heck, if he was rich he'd probably be a heartthrob.

And he was different. Different than the others. He didn't treat Accel or Konoha, as eccentric as he was, as tools. Unlike others.

And then there was Konoha.

Konoha – to put it bluntly, Konoha was weird. The oldest of them all at nineteen, one day he just broke open (Literally broke open) their ragtag apartment's door and crashed on their couch. He was part of the team from that day on. Konoha had extremely wild and unkempt long hair, icy blue eyes, and swirling tattoos of the same color all over his body.

The night was deathly quiet as he passed – and he could hear the drunken cries as the higher ups pounded the brains out of the lesser gangs. The sounds loudened as he neared his apartment, and for a second he thought he wouldn't make it without being attacked.

He was right.

In front of their ratty apartment complex doors was a pair of thugs, both with a dead body in their arms. They were sniggering to each other, and Accel didn't even flinch when he saw them. This kind of thing happened too often to be surprised about any more.

But how was he even going to get in? His silvery hair reached his shoulders and covered his left eye, as bright as moonlight

A dead giveaway on this moonless night.

His black lab coat was somewhat concealing, but there was no way he could make it past these gangsters without getting caught, and if he didn't go soon Takuma would come out to go look around outside – straight into the path of these guys. Konoha likely wouldn't care – that guy was off his rockers anyway.  
>Accel tightened his grip on the paper bag, and gently set it on the floor, a quiet thump accompanying it. One of the thugs – a female- turned her eyes towards him, a single purple eye outlined with a thick coat of makeup. The other was covered by a flop of dark pink hair. She grinned; her canines sharpened to razor points, and then whispered something to her accomplice. The burly thug turned towards him and yelled, "Hey, fancy-pants, come out of the darkness. We know you're there, wimp."<p>

Accel easily slid out of the darkness and into the pale yellow light of the street lamp that glazed light in a perfect circle around them all. He made a move as if to go around them, but the girl's eyes hardened and she blocked his path.

God, he swore that every time she blinked a layer of makeup fell off her lashes. It was disgusting.

"No can do, buddy. Is this where you live?"

Play dumb. That's what Takuma told him to do in situations like this. Accel sucked in a breath and shook his head.

"Oh?" She cocked her head at him. "Then what business do you have here?"

He didn't reply, and he could tell that the guy thug was getting irritated. The big guy whispered loudly to the girl, "C'mon, let's just jump him already, Lindy. Though he looks dirt-poor."

Lindy studied him for a few more moments, and then smiled again. It was suggestive and sharp, like a shark. Then she said, not even bothering to whisper, "That sword he carries… It looks quite rare. Perhaps we can pawn it off the black markets in Hamel when we go back to boss."

The mention of Hamel made Accel stiffen. Hamel? What could these guys be doing out here, far away from their resident city? Lindy seemed to notice him tense, and laughed. It was steely and hard, not even sounding like a real laugh. "Don't worry, boy," She smirked, "We'll make it quick."

And then she lunged, ripping a thin blade in which Accel vaguely remembered as a fencer's blade at him. It slid easily into his thigh, and he stumbled backwards, pain searing his legs. He reacted by pulling his sword off the scabbard and thrusting it into Lindy's general direction.

Instead of hitting her, the hilt was grabbed by the big thug guy, and Accel watched in grim shock as blood dripped down the big thug's fingers.

Wow.

That was a first.

Accel concentrated his magic into his sword, and in a burst of purple-white smoke and a few blue sparks, the thug guy was sent flying and crashed into a nearby dumpster. He didn't move again.

Lindy looked backwards at her accomplice, and then grinned.

It was unnatural.

"You're good," She said, turning back to him. Her dark pink hair was short and choppy, and Accel realized that his sword and indeed connected with some part of her, at least for a while. A thick curl of her hair was on the floor next to her, and Lindy smoothly picked it up, pocketing it. "A year's worth of hair wasted," She said offhandedly. "Hm. You're good. You know, you're good enough to join RISE."

He stared at her, unblinking, not knowing where she was going with this. The pain in his leg throbbed, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. And then, a shuffling noise that sounded familiar, like a paper bag –

Lindy threw her fencer's sword at him, and Accel ducked out of pure reflex. It connected with something behind him, and somebody shrieked.

Accel tore his eyes away from Lindy's face and turned back to see a girl hunched over his paper bag, and the thing that defined her most were the weird wings on her back. A transparent pearly white, they had little traces of sparkles sprinkled throughout them. Blue runes encircled her arms, but they were covered by a thick rope of blood that trickled down her arms as the girl slid the fencer's blade out of her arm and threw it on the floor, hissing, face contorted in pain.  
>Lindy spoke from behind him. "RISE." She repeated, slowly, like she thought he was stupid. She ignored the girl completely. "We're also participating, Accel."<p>

He snapped his head away from the bleeding girl and stared at Lindy, pale-faced. How did she…?

"Join us, fight us again at RISE." She said simply, and then she was gone. Just disappeared in place.

Like the darkness had swallowed her.

The big thug guy didn't move.

She said 'us'. Not 'me', but 'us'.

Accel turned back to the girl, who stared at him with tearstained eyes. And then he walked forward and extended a hand outwards to her.

She stared at him, and he stared at her.

She shook her head, and then looked at his paper bag with a determined expression. One that told him the story of a girl who had been on the streets much longer than he.

He grabbed her hand without her consent and pulled her to her feet. Accel let her go, grabbed the paper bag, grabbed her hand, and then forcibly pulled her into the apartment complex, where the body of a worried male came tumbling down the steps, eyes widening when he saw the bloody girl Accel had with him.

* * *

><p>Staring into the distance, a cottony smell tickled Bryan's nose. He sniffed, and then sneezed. How he hated the fall. It was bad enough that these stupid wads of cotton infiltrated his nose every single day, but tension was high.<p>

RISE.

It was the tournament of a lifetime, but only one team would surface to the top. No, no, Bryan had no intent of passing up this opportunity. He rubbed at his left eye – or what used to be his left eye. Gouged out years ago in an impossible battle, a jagged scar now replaced it. His hair was scruffy – he'd have to get it cut later.

RISE. The word kept coming back to him, hitting him like a hurricane every time. Bryan didn't initially plan on joining RISE, oh, no. The wind blew as he stared down from the roof of the place he called his home, and found two of his teammates chatting to each other in tense voices about RISE.

He leaned over with every intent to eavesdrop.

Elysea, the only female of their group, was talking to her childhood friend – Akira. They were the founders, and you could say leaders of their team, but both of them insisted that Bryan take the position, which he gladly did, since he didn't want to burden the two with a responsibility they didn't want.

Elysea was wearing a white kimono (It was a wonder how she kept it so clean despite the dirty streets she walked on), a dark blue obi tied around her waist. Her silvery-white hair was tied in a ponytail, her golden eyes gleaming.

She looked like a ghost in a graveyard.

Next to her, Akira was almost her opposite. Wearing mostly black with silver trimmings all over his outfit, most of it was hidden by the black cape he had wrapped around himself. His hair, in contrast to Elysea's carefully maintained hair, was messy and unkempt, and his blood-red eyes were tired.

"No, we can't just do that, El-chan," Akira was saying tiredly. Although he was usually cheerful and playful when speaking to Elysea, he sounded flat and tired today. "You know how long Bryan has waited for RISE. It's also an opportunity to up our status."

Elysea released a shaky-sounding breath. "But I don't want to do it!" Her voice sounded strained and immediately Bryan realized this was an argument.

Wow.

Elysea and Akira were fighting, and it was serious.

Wow.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Akira. B-but that's only because you're my childhood friend, okay? I don't want anybody to get hurt. Why can't Bryan be happy with what we have? GunVolt is okay with not participating!" Elysea said hotly. Bryan couldn't see them from his position on the rooftop, but he could hear them loud and clear.

"GunVolt is okay with almost anything you suggest," Akira pointed out tiredly. "You're like his older sister. He can't say no, or else he's fried."

Bryan could imagine Elysea turning a bright shade of red, a stark contrast to her white hair. "I… Just don't want us to get hurt."

Akira's voice softened. "Killing is prohibited in RISE, remember?"

"I know," Elysea sounded broken, "I know. But you saw what happened to Nish. He wasn't killed on the battlefield, but he died of his injuries, and that other team wasn't even disqualified or anything! They only care about whether you die on the field or not!" She sounded close to tears, and Bryan leaned away from the edges.

There was a long silence, and then Akira broke it. "I think you're strong enough for it," He said. His voice was soft, the only soft thing that existed in this world. The bond between a man and a woman, it was special.

What could Bryan say?

Another pause, and then, "It's not me I'm worried about, Akira. It's you." And then she hurriedly added, "G-GunVolt and Bryan too, of course. Not just you, dummy."

But both of them, including the eavesdropping Bryan on the rooftop, knew what she meant. Bryan decided that he couldn't keep on listening, and went inside.

GunVolt was crashed on the couch. He always looked dead when he slept, and if not for the steady rise of his chest everybody would think he was.

Bryan knew full well that Elysea didn't want to participate in RISE.

But he had to.

For her, he would do it.

He would avenge her.

Even if it meant sacrificing his team.

Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

* * *

><p>The sky was dark and moody in the arena of the Rueben festival. Undergrowth and brush swept across the ground in a dead pattern, a slight crackle of tension beaming in the air.<p>

A face surfaced out of the grayish-green bushes that covered the arena. The young girl looked around the clearing, her face blank, and slowly rose. Her bright turquoise hair was a dead giveaway, but she wasn't worried. She signaled in the brush, and two more of her teammates surfaced.

From the opposite side, there was a rustle, and a group of wild looking boys appeared out of the cave that jutted out near the sides of the arena. One, leaner and sturdier than the rest, eyed her suspiciously. His entire body was covered in leaf tattoos, and old wounds crisscrossed across his body. "Just two other teammates?"

The girl didn't say anything, but glanced backwards with her eyes. One of her teammates, a tall girl with dark skin and pink hair, shrugged, thrusting her thumb behind her. "None of your business," She said tartly, watching them carefully.

Her hair, wrapped to the back in a thick gray ribbon, flapped as the wind picked up. The two teams regarded each other wearily for a few moments, and then the tattoo boy whooped a battle cry, and the two teams exploded into movement.

The girl tackled the tattoo boy, hot white bursts of magic crashing around the two of them as her teammates took on the other three.

And meanwhile, up in a nearby oak tree, sat Mayumi, staring down at the battle with an indifferent expression on her face. Her long black hair flowed freely in the wind; the tips dyed a dark purple. She played with a strand as she stared down at them, and she watched the team leader scream as she was pushed back into the ground by the tattoo boy. Her charm bracelet made small tinkling noises as the beads were pushed together by the wind. The team leader screamed.

Mayumi giggled.

In an explosion of black magic sparks, she shot off the tree, a pair of transparent black wings shedding peals of black feathers onto the contestants below.

None of them paid her any attention, except for the team leader.

"Minji!" Sea, her pink hair flying in the wind, pushed back two guys covered in head-to-toe in leaves, attempting to reach Minji.

Minji opened her mouth to scream as the tattoo boy dove down with his spear, but Mayumi knocked him off of her as he prepared to dive in. He spun around wildly and met her gaze.

She smirked.

Roaring with anger, he crashed towards her, pushing aside Minji as he went. "You filthy - !" Before he could finish his sentence, Mayumi spun around, her wings slammed square into his chest. He staggered back, coughing, and her wings, HERMES, disappeared in another flash of black sparks.

"Think before you talk next time, 'kay?" She smiled sweetly at him and then slid her charm bracelet off her arm. In a flash, instead of a bracelet, there was a long sword, the hilt old and worn with use. The blade flashed wickedly in the pale light of the afternoon sky, and there was a spark as embers pooled off the sharp edge. FIRE mode was always her favorite.

Furious by now, the tattoo boy lunged at her, trying to thrust the tip into her chest. She spun away just in time, but it nicked her dress. She made a noise of irritation, and then slid the sword easily over his chest. He stumbled back, blood beading on his chest, a bright red burn mark flaming near the edges, but he attacked her relentlessly.

Mayumi tried to stay passive, but his attacks were well-timed and hard to dodge. She sniggered as he missed an attack and taunted, "You're such a hippie. I bet you're missing on purpose, little boy."

He, obviously ten years older than her, screamed, his face red from rage. "Shut up!" He roared, driving his spear tip into her thigh.

For a moment, Mayumi stumbled. A flash of bright, uncomfortable pain flashed up her leg, and she gaped at him as he drove it in deeper.

He was good.

Maybe too good.

In a split-second, she surveyed her own team. Sea was holding her dual swords up in front of her, struggling to protect Minji as the leader fired out shots of feather-shaped magic energy balls at them. In the corner, Horace, the other member, was pinned underneath an enemy. All three were profusely injured.

Eh.

They'll live.

Just like they did those other times.

A black flame-like substance covered Mayumi, the flames curling up the sides of her legs. She faintly heard a scream in the background, crying, begging her to stop –

And all her hearing dissipated.

**"Hell's Burden!"**

Her silvery eyes turned a stormy shade of dark blue, and the whole world disappeared. All she knew was the cold, the cold and the touch of ARES in her hands, cool and misty against her sweaty palms.

Mayumi lunged.

She didn't know who she was attacking, or what, but all that mattered was the warm sticky spray that splattered over her clothes every time ARES made contact with something. Her world was a blur, the sounds melding into the very color of the forest. Her arms swung blindly, attempting to crush everything it made contact with.

All that mattered was the haze of the syrupy colored sky and blurriness of the golden forest.

No regret, no shame overtook her as she ravaged the battlefield, with no care about who she was attacking.

When she finished the last swing, her eyes turned back to their silvery hue and she stopped. Slowly turning around, she surveyed the battlefield.  
>Mass destruction. That could be the only way to describe what she was looking at.<p>

The forest no longer had the golden sheen it had, nor did the sky. Both were flat and dull, grayish colors flooding their very cores. Mayumi suspected that they had never been that syrupy-colored to begin with.

The trees were covered in countless slash and burn marks. The ground was covered with bloody footprints, ripped up leaves, and a branch of a bone-gray tree that rested near her teammates. And the tattered remains of a gray ribbon, a spider web of marks etching across the tattered silk surface.

Her teammates.

Good god.

The enemy team was nowhere in sight, except for the leader that lay unconscious on a pile of leaves, blood pouring from a wound on his chest. The burn was already starting to blister.

But her teammates on the other hand…

Mayumi knew it was wrong, but she had to stop and survey her teammates, admiring her strength. Sea was crisscrossed with burn marks and slash marks, looking similar to the trees around her. Her once long hair was now only shoulder length, the strands of bloody pink hair scattered all over the ground. She was holding her arm, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth as she stared at Mayumi, wide-eyed. Horace was unconscious in the corner, apparently having hit the tree with his back.

Minji was behind Sea, a hand over a left eye, which was bleeding profusely. Her hair was uneven, longer in some parts and shorter in others. She looked even more shocked than Sea did, and then she whispered slowly, "You promised."

Mayumi blinked once, twice. And then she turned around, facing the tower to the west. The commentators in the tower were silent, both of them speechless. She sent them a glare, and one hurriedly took the microphone from the other as she looked down to inspect ARES.

Covered in blood… With a piece of gray ribbon speared at the tip. She turned her attention back to the commentators as he shakily announced, "And the winner is… Shirahime Mayumi."

The commentator didn't bother adding the name of her team in as the match ended. The glowing timer that read 30:12 in the sky dispersed, and Mayumi raised ARES triumphantly.

Nobody moved, not Minji, not Sea, not Horace, not the tattoo boy, and not Mayumi.

The ribbon curled, burning from the inside-out, and then disappeared, a crackle of ember leaping into the sky.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh boy, oh boy. I finished. I tried to edit this, but it didn't really work, so if you see any errors please point them out. I also have an OC in here (Lol it's not Lindy, k. I would never make a pinata as my OC) and see if you can find her lol the choices are limited so it shouldn't be hard.**

**So, the teams introduced, in order, were:**

**DRONE (Leader, Eve)**

**Sosii (Leader, No Pausa)**

**Knights of the Last Light (Leader, Accel)**

**The Fleet (Leader, Bryan)**

**Unnamed Team (Leader, Minji - not important to plot so unnamed lol)**

**Other teams (We only have two more atm) will be introduced next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoyed and I'd really like it if you reviewed and told me what you thought~ I'll say it again: If I happened to write your OC in a way you didn't like, don't hesitate to ask me to change it. Guests can ask via review.**


	3. Introduction II

**A/N: Sorry this is so delayed everyone ^^; My computer had broken down because I spilled milk all over it, and then I realized that I'd lost half of this entire chapter so it really didn't motivate me to write some more and now... Well, thank Mayumi-Chan AKA Chizu. I was writing that collab with her and I guess my spark for writing came back ^^**

**For the people wondering where the other OCs are - this is an introduction for the other OCs and some foreshadowing for some plot. It turns out I have bigger plans for pinata Lindy than I originally thought I would.**

**Also to anybody that cares - I'm also almost done with chapters 3 and 4 of Innocent. I'm sorry it took so long qq I feel like a horrible person. er - at least i think it's four and three..**

**None of the characters belong to me, except Lindy and etc. Plot belongs to me. If you don't like the way your OC is written or notice a mistake, don't hesitate to PM me!**

**Classes:**

**Hina: Arsenal Goddess (16)**

**Ri: Night Runner (23)**

**Kaito: Overlord (19)**

**Horrindo: Strings of Life (16)**

**Solar: Rune Crusher (16)**

**Daisuke: Mirror Master (16)**

**Yuuki: Symphony Empress (16)**

**Eol-Eum: Storm Inducer (17)**

**Lorelei: Celestial Enchanter (14)**

**Ozul: Ghostly Reaper (14)**

**Rundent: Nature's Force (15)**

**Yuka: Alpha Striker (18)**

* * *

><p>Aisha stood in front of the large building that loomed over the twenty-seven arenas that made up Elrios's biggest festival. Right now, she was both ticked off and nervous. This was her last chance to stay in Elsword's group. If they messed up in this, they would murder her. Rena and Elsword both. Quite literally.<p>

Raven probably would watch.

Doing nothing but watching.

She was risking everything on this one chance. Rena had given her a disapproving look, and Elsword looked bored, but had agreed to whatever she was about to do. Maybe they'd kill her straight off the bat when she told them what she did, but she had to do it.

For herself.

As Aisha prepared to go in, someone left. It was a girl about her age, with snow-white hair and a calm expression. She hardly gave Aisha a glance as she passed by.

She entered the building.

It was unlike any of the buildings she'd ever seen. This festival was built on top of a giant spider-like robot, fashioned in Altera. It was designed to move around from city to city – and it had finally reached Rueben. Their hotels and streets were going to be full for the next five months.

Or however long it took to end RISE.

The inside was dry and hollow, a short, spindly woman with a huddle of dark pink hair behind a register. A pair of red-rimmed glasses stretched across her face as she inked words across a scrap of parchment. At the sound of Aisha's footsteps, she looked up. "Can I help you?" Her deep purple eyes blinked at her.

"I'd like…

I'd like to register for RISE."

The woman behind the counter nodded. "Uh-huh. Okay, tell me your team name, names of your team members, and what kind of magic you use. Or weaponry."

Aisha felt nervous around this woman. Her eyes were too sharp, too bright. It wasn't like a normal person's. "U-um… I'm Aisha… There's um, Elsword, Rena, and Raven… A-ah… I use black magic, as you can see," She gestured towards her outfit, "Elsword uses um, runes, fire runes, and a sword… Rena uses a bow and a sword… Sometimes she uses wind? I dunno really… She's an elf, so…"

The woman pushed up her glasses on her face and speedily wrote everything Aisha said to her.

"Raven… he uses… Um… He uses a sword, and he has a mechanical arm so sometimes he uses fire… I think." It was at that moment that Aisha realized that she didn't really know what kind of weapons Raven used. He was always out with Rena, so…

"Yeah. That's about it." She said. Her palms were sweaty, and she realized that halfway through she had started to clench her fists.

The writing ceased, and the lady pressed a button near her. A blue holographic image appeared next to her, and she typed down their names and information.

"Mindy? Hey, I need – " A man popped his head up from the corridor that expanded to the right, with the big words written in the Empire language.

Aisha didn't know much Empire. They spoke Ri'a here, and it wasn't much use learning the language of another continent. Ri'a was the official language of the west, of Rurensia*. Empire was the language of the east, Pluone. Although the festival started in Altera, which was in Rurensia, it stayed for the past five tournaments in Pluone, so of course the stuff was in their language.

She knew enough, however, to tell that the words said STAFF ONLY.

"Shut up," The woman said. She pushed her glasses up on her face and glared hard at the man, who blinked before slinking away. "Excuse me for the interruption," She said, her voice not missing a beat. "What is your team name?" She clicked on a blue bar, and a mass of holographic Empire scrolled across the screen.

"A-ah… Um…" She gulped. Although she really didn't want to do this, Elsword was the leader of their team. In the end, his choice was all that mattered.

So she'd have to focus getting on his good side.

"Team EL," She said finally.

Mindy clicked it in as Aisha stared at the team name above theirs, written in a spiny version of Empire. Dammit, she hated it when machines did this. Like they purposely write in this godforsaken cursive so Ri'a speakers wouldn't be able to understand.

She read this much before her head started to swim: The F

The F?

Obviously her reading skills in Empire needed some work.

Mindy said, "I'm done," And the hologram disappeared. "You are entered. Make sure your entire team is here in two weeks. That's when RISE starts. Thank you for choosing to participate in the biggest festival in Elrios," She said, and then her attention turned back to whatever she was writing on her paper, the quill scratching across the surface.

She left. There was nothing more to do.

* * *

><p>Hina spread out the sheets on the couch, looking at the blankets with distaste. They were ripped in the worst places, and the emerald color had faded to a puke-green. She'd have to throw that away. "Hey, Ri,"<p>

From the corner somewhere of their apartment, a head of magenta hair popped out. "Wha - ?"

Hina blinked as Ri fell over sideways, crashing into an old and dented lamppost. "You okay there?"

Ri yelped, scrambling to her feet, and then clutched her side. "Ow, ow, ow," She whined, "The pain of a stab to the side by furniture is worse than any weapon. But other than that, I'm okay."

She was unconvinced, but Hina didn't press any further. "How much do we have left this month after food expenses?"

Scratching her neck, Ri detached her arm from her side and thought for a moment. "About fifty or so,"

"That's less than usual,"

"Uh-huh. Kaito's not doing so hot – apparently these new hotshots came along in the factory and have been getting all the bonuses," Ri said, concern lacing her voice. "It's making me a little worried, you know? After all… Neither of us have been doing any better, either."

It's hard being down at the bottom, Hina almost added, but she restrained herself. To be fair, they weren't that poor. Most people could only afford warehouses, but they had been a little more successful and ended up with a dingy apartment. It wasn't much better though – their former warehouse had been a lot bigger.

At least their apartment now had a bed.

Ri interrupted her suddenly, "Why do you need to know?"

"Oh… Well, look at this," She gestured to the ugly blanket next to her. "We need a new one. We're not gonna survive with just one blanket. And Kaito's already freezing, giving us the blanket."

She turned towards Horrindo, who was snoring softly on his side on the floor near her feet. "Horrindo looks okay though."

Ri considered for a moment. "It's enough for another blanket," She said, "Horrindo's blanket is getting dirty, too,"

"Where is his blanket?"

"Washing it."

Hina grimaced. "How much water and powder did you use?" Although it was a stupid question, every little bit mattered when you were poverty-stricken.

"Only a little bit. Used a bucketful of water, though. C'mon, Hina, loosen up. It'll all get better after RISE, I promise." Ri tossed her magenta-colored hair over her shoulder, releasing a waft of her strawberry shampoo mixed in with the dirty scent of the streets.

"So we're really going to participate? I don't think we're ready." And truth to be told, they weren't ready. Even though they had this shabby apartment, the fees were getting higher and higher as the years passed and they weren't doing all that good.

She was sure that if this kept going on, they'd be broke and penniless by the end of the year. RISE, Hina had to admit, was necessary. But was the injures they'd sustain from the battles worth it?

Ri sighed. "Stop worrying so much and go find Kaito. That kid's always late." She pressed her hand to her side one last time and then with a slump fell on top of the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Things will change with RISE. We can win and gain power."

Hina didn't say anything else, and neither did Ri. Unspoken words hung heavily in the air, and Hina left the apartment to go track down Kaito.

Horrindo turned around in his sleep, frowning, wrinkles creasing on his forehead. Ri turned over in the bed to look at him, and smiled. They really were all just kids in the end. She didn't know if entering RISE was the right thing to do – but it couldn't hurt to at least have a chance.

As if he learned her, Horrindo turned around in his sleep, furrowing his eyebrows again.

Ri giggled and turned to face the wall, magenta eyes staring bleakly. They will win RISE, they will.

Their team was doomed if they didn't.

The elf sat there for a few more fours, thinking, and then the door opened and closed. She sat up, and Horrindo wasn't even on the floor anymore. He peeked out from the kitchen, looking bleary with sleep.

Hina put her coat on the rack and shook her head. "I can't find him. Looks like Kaito's work ended early but he went somewhere else after that. We can just wait for him to come home."

Ri sighed and flopped backwards onto the bed. "That kid's getting later and later by the day. Know what's up?" She directed the question to Horrindo, who usually left with Kaito to work on the mornings – the boy shook his head.

"Dunno. He and I work in separate buildings and have separate work times, so I can't say where he's going," Horrindo said, reaching up to mess up his already messy brown hair. His white mask, with a spider web of burn marks stretching across them, was strung idly over his hip.

Hina turned to the bathroom, shutting the door gently behind her. Ri watched her go, ear flicking, and then back to Horrindo. "Eh. Whatever. I'm sure Kaito will come back on his own."

"He always does," Horrindo said and then turned back, disappearing into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>Solar rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, staring into the gloomy recesses of the broken machine. What was he supposed to do with an old, broken-down cleaning machine? It was obvious that nobody wanted it, so why did she bring it back? He pushed a lock of black hair out of his eyes, and then called out to the silent garage, "Why did we bring this again?"<p>

"Just 'cuz," Came back a reply. A beautiful girl with dark black hair stood up from the corner, a broken blender in her arms. "Spare parts?" She shook out her hair, and metal scraps fell from it. Yuuki frowned down at them, and said, "Wasn't someone supposed to clean this place last week?"

"It was you," Daisuke said lazily from the floor. He propped himself up with an elbow and said, "You were supposed to clean this place up last week, Yuuki. And then you forgot, like all those other times."

Yuuki pouted. "Not my fault. The orchestra was really busy last week, and all we got was fifty percent of the pay added." She held up a sleek, glossy violin as if to prove her point – it was covered in little scratches and nicks, but otherwise in pretty good shape. "Besides, you were busy too, lazy. It's not just me,"

And they started to bicker uselessly back and forth. Solar watched them for a few more moments, and then kneeled back to stare at the broken cleaning machine in front of him some more. "So, who exactly brought this in?"

Yuuki and Daisuke replied, "Eol-Eum," in perfect harmony, not missing a beat, and then resumed bickering. Solar switched his attention back to the robot, and then straightened, standing.

"Where is she?"

"Not here," Came back the synchronized reply.

Eh. It was so hard talking to them after they started to argue. Solar went over and peeked into the bathroom their little garage thing had. Sure enough, Eol-Eum was in there, washing her hands. She looked at him, yellow-green fish-like ears twitching, and then switched off the water. "What is it?"

"The machine you brought in," He pointed in the direction with his thumb, "What's it for?"

"Oh, that." Eol-Eum dried her hands with the ratty towel they had hanging near the sink, and then sighed. "It's for stuff. Spare parts, mostly – whoever threw it away didn't pay careful attention to the parts. I'm not an expert at machinery, but I do know enough to say that the robot's not useless," And then gestured for him to follow as she moved over to the robot.

Yuuki and Daisuke had ceased their petty argument and were muttering lowly under their breath, pointing to something outside the window.

Eol-Eum turned over the robot and pointed to a pair of steely red wires crisscrossing the inside of the robot. "That's salvageable, for about ten a wire," She said.

Solar frowned. "That's not much," He said.

"I know, but it's better than nothing, you know?" She straightened up, and Solar followed the Laguz with his eyes. "Did we spend all the leftover money for that new router yesterday?"

He shrugged. "That stuff was for Yuuki and Daisuke to buy as they came back from work yesterday. Better luck asking them than me."

Eol-Eum nodded and then went over to the pair, repeating her question. Yuuki thought for a moment and then said, "Yeah. But the router's a lot more damaged than we thought, and we'll, unfortunately, need to get it fixed. The battery's out, as well."

The Laguz drew in a heavy breath, and it was obvious that she was frustrated. "Food supply?"

Yuuki shook her head. "Low, dangerously low."

Solar stared as a tense silence came over the four of them.

Then, Daisuke spoke. "Hey, Team Leader."

Solar jerked his head towards Daisuke, everybody's eyes on the young teen. He propped himself upright with both elbows, and then said nonchalantly, "How 'bout we join RISE?"

Yuuki immediately started coughing, and her face turned bright red. "We what?"

"Join RISE," Daisuke repeated. "I mean, come on, it's a chance at money, at a life. If we're struggling that bad. Its fine, and they feed us and give us a place to stay for the entire festival, or at least until we lose. Don't they?"

A silence fell upon them all, and he added, "Just a thought."

Yuuki scoffed. "Uh-huh, and it's –"

"Hold on," Solar interrupted. Yuuki turned towards him, mouth still open, Eol-Eum and Daisuke looking at him expectantly. "I think you're onto something,"

"See?" Daisuke muttered under his breath.

"Why?" Eol-Eum quipped, her brow creasing with premature wrinkles. She rubbed at her face with both palms, and then pulled at her messy and dirty hair. It'd been a while since they had the money to afford a shower for them.

"Why not?" Solar affirmed. "Like Daisuke said, it's a good chance. I know we may not win, but what's the harm in trying?"

Eol-Eum frowned, but her eyes sparkled. Solar could tell it had been a while since she had felt excitement. "Okay, fine. But then we have to win, okay?"

Solar grinned, but the tension was still here. "Yeah."

Yuuki nodded, and so did Daisuke.

* * *

><p>Lorelei pressed her white teddy bear against her chest, thinking. The thick, greasy scent of the evening air was disgusting, and she headed back inside. The white of her teddy bear's pelt contrasted with her dark outfit. Lorelei shook out her hair and then went to go sit on the couch in the middle of their grungy little apartment.<p>

"Hey, hey, Ozul," She said, staring at the wall. "Rundent wants to join RISE. What do you think?" She pressed the doll to her one last time before gently placing him on the floor. With a bright flash, the teddy bear was replaced by a tall boy with shaggy white hair and silver eyes. He sat down next to her.

"RISE?" He questioned.

Lorelei moved her position so that her back was leaning against her shoulder as she tucked her feet under her. "It's like this fighting competition thing," She explained, "And if you win it's like, you get rich and super powerful or something. I don't know – Rundent and Yuka understand it better than I do." She rubbed her temples. "It's hard being the youngest in a team."

Ozul was quiet for a few moments. "Why do they want to join?"

"Why? Just like every other person, they want status and wealth. I mean, sure, this isn't the best position we could be in, but fighting for things like that… It's not really human, is it?" She sighed, running a hand through her violet hair.

"No, but this world has long passed human." Ozul straightened his back, making Lorelei lose her balance, and then gently caught her by her arm. "Where's the others."

Lorelei blushed, and then murmured, "Um… Yuka and Rundent went shopping, uh, yeah."

Ozul looked up at the ceiling, frowning. "I've heard only a bit about RISE, from that one time you accidently left me on the couch when you went to buy water,"

Lorelei pushed his shoulder, not wanting to remember that. She had grown agitated eventually ran back to the apartment to get him (And unfortunately losing all that she had to buy the water – Yuka wasn't mad, just disappointed – even worse – but Rundent got a little pissy) "And that is?"

"Isn't RISE for a four person team?"

The girl sighed and fell backwards onto Ozul's lap, staring up at him before straightening, a light flush coloring her cheeks. "Yeah. Yuka said something about finding a starving child off the streets, but Rundent wants a good fighter."

"And you?"

Lorelei paused. "I don't know what I want. I –"

Before she could say anything else, Ozul's eyes narrowed and with a flash of light he was gone, and in his place a white teddy bear. Lorelei stared down at him, confused, and then the front door opened. Yuka walked in with a tired air around her, Rundent following shortly after.

"Hi," Lorelei greeted, swiping Ozul off the ground and hugging him close to her. She sat back on the couch and watched as Yuka tiredly bobbed her head in greeting and Rundent wave his hand. "What did you buy?"

"Not much," Yuka admitted, spilling out her paper bag contents on the counter of their broken kitchen. Only little bits of food tumbled out, and Rundent placed a gallon of water in a tub with it. "The prices went up."

"This is why we need RISE," Rundent muttered under his breath. "We can all get so much better than this," He added when Yuka shot him a disapproving look. "I'm sure. They feed us and all that shit,"

"Language," Yuka reprimanded before going to place the food in their fridge. "We have just enough water for one bath. You can take it, Lorelei, since it's been four weeks since your last one."

Lorelei made a face. She tucked her greasy hair behind her ear and nodded, bounding away to their bathroom. Four weeks was the shortest time she'd ever gone without taking a bath. She stripped down, placing Ozul the teddy bear so his back was to her, and then waited. A few seconds later Yuka came in with three buckets and tossed some water into the bathtub – one to clean it, and one for now and the last for later. "Use it wisely," Yuka said before leaving.

Lorelei climbed in and sighed with relief. After weeks of dirty, she was glad to have this bath. Sure, Yuka and Rundent didn't get it, but Rundent had had his a week ago and Yuka two weeks ago. They could make do for a couple more weeks.

She scrubbed the dirt and grime off her pale skin, making it shine, and then rinsed. She made sure to save the last bucket and half of the first one, however, for Ozul. When she climbed out and put her clothes on, Lorelei gently placed Ozul on the ground and said, "Take your time," Before going outside and sitting down next to the door.

Yuka passed by, a stack of papers in her hand, and Lorelei faintly saw words in the language of Empire, which she didn't know how to speak. "What's that for?" She piped up.

Yuka froze. "Oh. It's for RISE."

"… We're really going to participate in that?"

"I'm afraid we're running out of options, Lorelei. I think Banthus is really close to releasing Rundent, and my pay isn't getting any bonuses, either. We may have to do this." Yuka looked at her with bright green eyes, begging her to understand.

She did understand. "… If we decide to participate, I'll do it."

Yuka softened with relief. "Oh, that's good," She murmured.

"Yeah. But then we have to win, all right?"

Rundent peeked out from the kitchen, eyes half-closed. "We're gonna win. I don't know what you're talking about, Lorelei."

Lorelei stared back. "Me neither," She admitted.

A rapping sound from inside the bathroom told Lorelei that Ozul had finished. She opened the door and inside was a white teddy bear, whiter than ever before.

She hugged him to her chest.

* * *

><p>Mindy moved swiftly along the hallways, her glasses flashing with white light. Behind the cherry-red rim of her glasses and crop of dark pink hair recently tied in a messy bun lay a pair of cold purple eyes. She pushed a wisp of hair out of her face and continued down the path. With the flick of her hand, she pulled out a receiver and a holographic image of a blue woman appeared. "How may I help you, Lady Fortuta?"<p>

"Get my youngest twin on the line."

"Affirmative."

The woman disappeared, and a few seconds later a face nearly identical to Mindy's own appeared, looking bored. "What'cha want now?"

"I want to know how well you tracked that plant and her accomplice," Mindy hissed, keeping her voice down as she passed the rooms assigned to those who had signed up. They were vacant at the moment, but the participants would arrive any time now.

"It was fine," Lindy muttered, brushing her hair off her face. "Stupid makeup is suffocating though. Do you think they have enough to buy makeup? These dirt-poor street fighters, I mean."

Mindy's tone hardened as she replied, "Don't speak lightly of street-dwellers. Lady Sieghart used to be one herself, didn't she?"

"That woman is a phony," Lindy sharply replied, her hologram wavering slightly. Mindy slowed when she neared the door to her office and she opened it, entering. "I saw the move she used. El Lady was amazing, and then this stupid woman comes again with that disgusting move of hers, and –"

"Shut up, Lindy. You know Lady Sieghart won, fair and square. And who's to say she isn't as good of a leader as the El Lady?"

"She isn't. Everybody knows that the number of unemployed and poverty-stricken people have been rising in numbers, and this red-haired sword lady's not doing anything to stop it."

"And we'll be in that ring too, if we don't catch that goddamn plant," Mindy snapped, finally losing her patience. "So catch it, and then kill it. We don't need any conspiracy rumors to start flying."

Lindy sat back, wherever she was, clearly more relaxed than she was moments ago. "It's fine. That thing is demented, isn't it? Besides, those idiotic street rats won't be able to tell plant from human there, anyways."

"What about Earl?"

"Dead. Stupid bastard decided it would be a nice idea to rush at attacking the human accomplice, so he was killed. Didn't even bring magic weapons or anything high tech," She murmured. "Underestimated the enemy."

Mindy exhaled through her nose and sat down at her desk. "That's all I wanted to know. The plant is the biggest risk – keep your eye on her. I'll send Cindy to watch over the human, so just watch the plant."

Lindy's form straightened. "That stupid pest of a girl? She can't do shit,"

"She's our sister; have some respect," And with that, Mindy disconnected and placed the receiver on the table.

If push came to shove, then the human accomplice could life.

But the plant had to go, no matter what.

* * *

><p><strong>Mindy, Lindy, Cindy... I'm really tired and weird x-x<strong>

**Well, if you see any mistakes, please tell me! I always forget to add something in... oh well! I'll just edit it in later and repeat it in the next chapter. Next chapter won't take as long btw ^^**

**Although it might take a while - it is hard to juggle so many ocs at the same time, plus some of them are lacking in detail and it's hard to come up with a in-depth character development for them. Also thank you Lunarium Prince for listening to my stupid complaints o-e**

**oh god I just realized i'm eating donuts at nine PM**

**gg**

**welcome diabetes**

**i need to lose weight**


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